In Part 3 of this message, we discussed some important “do’s and don’ts” consider when creating and executing your plan to achieve your goal. In this final part in the series, we will discuss how to handle adversity as you work your plan in pursuit of your goal, and some of the things to celebrate along the way.

I’ve challenged you to allow yourself to dream big, commit it to writing, tell the world of your intentions, and chase that dream… and you are probably energized, excited, inspired, and more than a little scared to acknowledge what it means to you if you should fail along the way.

First the bad news: Everything will not go according to your plan. You will encounter setbacks, interruptions and problems along your journey. That’s the hard truth and there is no point in sugar coating it. Yet, I contend that any goal which is truly transformative will not be easily attained – but if it’s worth having then it’s worth the fight.

Now for the good news: Some of the best lessons and biggest advances we make in our lives come only after we have learned them the hard way – by overcoming problems (maybe more than once). If you view a setback as an opportunity to learn and improve, you will be smarter the next time around and have another tool at your disposal to solve the problem.

Considering these two ideas, you should be creating a plan which helps minimize the chances or magnitude of problems. Remember that we discussed in Part 3 the strategy of creating a plan with smaller milestones to allow you to build upon your hard work and stair step your way to victory. Remember, too, the idea of using an accountability buddy as a way to stay on track toward your goal and as a sounding board for issues. Depending upon your goal, you may want to enlist the support of a peer group (live or online community) who may share your goal and journey – as you can learn from one another faster than you can learn alone. Finally, it may be wise to enlist the support of a mentor who has achieved what you seek to achieve. Learning from your mistakes is great, but learning from theirs (and avoiding similar issues on your journey) is even better! Finally, you should realize that your plan is not written in stone and adjust it as and when a “learning opportunity” presents itself. Adapt your plan to incorporate your hard-won knowledge, refocus your efforts to be smarter going forward, and recommit yourself to your goal.

When you finally reach your goal, take time to reflect on your achievement and the person you’ve become in the process. I think that you’ll find two things: 1) Success is strongly addictive and you’ll want to set the next goal for yourself, and 2) If you are really honest, it isn’t necessarily about the goal – but rather the journey that truly shapes us in ways we hadn’t previously imagined.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Tom Grover’s book Relentless, “Physical dominance can make you great. Mental dominance is ultimately what makes you unstoppable. You will never have a more powerful training tool than this: get you mind strong, so your body can follow. The true measure of an individual is determined by what you can’t measure – intangibles. Anyone can measure weight, height, physical strength, speed… but you can’t measure commitment, persistence, or the instinctive power of the muscle in your chest, your heart. That’s where your true work begins: understanding what you want to achieve and knowing what you’re willing to endure to get it.”

So dream big, make yourself a promise to fulfill that dream, and start your journey today!